Let’s go back to the beginning, when Hobbs, now a Colorado Supreme Court justice, unwittingly played a central role in the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary.

Former Congressman Scott McInnis, the frontrunner, was paid $300,000 for work he claimed was original but turned out to be plagiarized from water articles Hobbs had earlier written. The revelation torpedoed McInnis’ candidacy.

The election is over, but now Colorado is mired in reapportionment, the fancy term given to redrawing legislative boundaries to accommodate for population shifts documented by the U.S. Census. This year’s redistricting debate is peppered with frequent references to “the Hobbs opinion” from a decade ago.

Basically what happened is Republicans at the time argued Democrats were needlessly dividing counties. They submitted their own map that split fewer counties. The Supreme Court concurred 4-3, with Justice Hobbs writing the opinion for the majority that the commission should avoid unncessary county splits. Another map was drawn based on the ruling.

Those watching this year’s redistricting process, in which some commissioners complained counties have been needlessly divided, have wondered for weeks what the new Supreme Court would do if asked to again rule on the issue. Democrats serving on the commission have taken a less strict interpretation of the Hobbs opinion, and Republicans speculated Martinez would side with them.

Martinez, whose last day on the court is Oct. 31, likely won’t get the chance to have a say on the final map. The commission has to submit its map to the court for review by Oct. 7 but has until Nov. 9 to submit all arguments and evidence.

No matter what happens, former Rep. Rob Witwer, R-Genesee, predicts the Hobbs opinion will stand.

“Even if the court changes, the Constitution hasn’t and that’s what we’re required to follow,” he said.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.